Learn about the latest workplace injury statistics, as published in 2019 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other federal agencies.

No matter where you work or what you do for a living, there is a chance that you will get injured on the job. Each year, workers in all occupations get injured or sick, and many experience serious, life-altering, and even life-threatening conditions due to factors beyond their control. Here are the latest workplace injury statistics for 2019, as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).*

2019 Workplace Injury Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Total Workplace Injuries Remained Largely Unchanged

According to the BLS’s most-recent Survey of Occupational Injuries & Illnesses, which it published on November 7, 2019, the total number of injuries per 100 full-time workers remained unchanged at 2.8. This figure has dropped steadily over the past 15 years, remaining unchanged from year to year only twice. The following statistics also remained unchanged from the prior year:

Work injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work (0.9 per 100 full-time workers)

Work injuries and illnesses resulting in job transfers or restrictions (0.7 per 100 full-time workers)

Occupations with the Most Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses

The BLS’s Survey of Occupational Injuries & Illnesses also provides a list of the occupations with the most workplace non-fatal injuries and illnesses. The data show that job-related injuries are far more common than job-related illnesses; and, for the most part, the occupations with the most injuries are also those with the most illnesses. In order from the most job-related injuries to least, BLS’s workplace injury statistics indicate that the 10 most-dangerous occupations for workers (excluding fatal injuries, which are discussed below) are as follows:

States with the Most Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses

According to BLS’s 2019 workplace injury statistics, 22 states had a rate of non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses that was significantly above the national average. Seven states had rates that were not significantly different from the national average, and 12 states (and Washington D.C.) had rates that were significantly lower than the national average (the rates for the remaining nine states were unavailable).

States with Non-Fatal Workplace Illness and Injury Rates Above the National Average:

Alaska

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Hawaii

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Maine

Michigan

Minnesota

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Vermont

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

States with Non-Fatal Workplace Illness and Injury Rates Not Significantly Different from the National Average:

Alabama

Illinois

Maryland

Missouri

New Mexico

Tennessee

Utah

States with Non-Fatal Workplace Illness and Injury Rates Below the National Average:

Age and Sex of Workers Who Missed Time from Work Due to Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

According to the latest BLS data available in 2019, slightly over half of workers who missed time from work due to workplace illnesses and injuries were men. The greatest disparity between men and women was in the private sector (60% men compared to 40% women), with the least disparity between state government employees (53% men compared to 47% women).

The BLS’s 2019 workplace injury statistics indicate that older workers were more likely to miss significant time from work than younger workers. Among workers ages 55 to 64, the median number of days missed due to an injury or illness was 14 days, compared to just five days for workers between the ages of 16 and 24.

Most-Common Causes of Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries – 2019 BLS Data

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2019 data break down the most-common causes of non-fatal workplace injuries into five categories. The proportion of injuries falling into each of these categories has remained fairly steady over the past five years. According to the BLS’s statistics, the most-common causes of workplace injuries (from most-common to least common) are:

However, while sprains, strains, and tears are the most-common type of non-fatal workplace injury leading to missed time from work, these injuries are roughly in the middle in terms of the number of days they cause workers to miss. From most to least, the injuries that cause employees and independent contractors to miss the most time from work are:

Multiple injuries with fractures (median of 48 days)

Fractures (median of 32 days)

Amputations (median of 31 days)

Carpal tunnel syndrome (median of 30 days)

Tendonitis (median of 14 days)

Sprains, strains, and tears (median of 11 days)

Multiple traumatic injuries (median of nine days)

Soreness or pain) median of eight days)

Multiple injuries with sprains (median of seven days)

Bruises and contusions (median of five days)

Heat (thermal) burns (median of five days)

Cuts, lacerations, and punctures (median of four days)

Chemical burns (median of three days)

The Number of Fatal Workplace Injuries is on the Rise

The BLS’s workplace injury statistics published in 2019 indicate that while the number of non-fatal workplace accidents has been falling, the number of fatal workplace accidents is on the rise. Over the past five years, the number of fatal accidents has increased each year, with just one exception. In 2018, the BLS reported the most fatal accidents of any of the previous five years. According to the BLS, the six most-common causes of fatal workplace accidents are:

Transportation accidents (2,080 fatalities in the most-recent year)

Violence and other injuries caused by persons or animals (828 fatalities in the most-recent year)

Falls, slips, and trips (792 fatalities in the most-recent year)

Contact with objects and equipment (786 fatalities in the most-recent year)

Exposure to harmful substances or environments (621 fatalities in the most-recent year)

Fires and explosions (115 fatalities in the most-recent year)

The occupations with the most fatal workplace accidents are very different from those with the most non-fatal injuries and illnesses (see above). According to BLS, the occupations with the highest number of fatalities based on the most-recent data available in 2019 are:

Professional and business services (3.3 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

While California and Texas had the highest number of workplace deaths (422 and 488, respectively), these states had relatively low incident rates for job-related fatalities (2.3 and 3.8 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, respectively. The states with the highest incident rates for job-related fatalities were:

Wyoming (11.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

Alaska (9.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

North Dakota (9.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

West Virginia (7.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

South Dakota (6.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

Mississippi (6.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers)

“Fast Facts” on Workplace Injuries from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC’s workplace injury statistics are largely consistent with those published by the BLS. On its Fast Facts page, the CDC highlights the following figures (based on the most-recent data available in 2019):

26% of all non-fatal work injuries resulting in days missed from work resulted from slips, trips, and falls.

24% of all workplace fatalities resulted motor vehicle accidents.

Approximately 9% of workplace fatalities resulted from homicides.

More than 229,000 workers were forced to miss time from their jobs due to injuries from contact with objects and equipment.

Workers under the age of 25 had a higher rate of occupational injuries requiring emergency medical treatment than older workers (although, as noted above, older workers were more likely to miss more days from work).

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), similar to the BLS. As a result, OSHA and the BLS publish many of the same workplace accident and injury statistics. However, OSHA publishes its own data as well, including its well-known “Fatal Four.”

The “Fatal Four” are the four most-common causes of worker deaths on construction sites in America. According to OSHA, as of 2019, “one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.” OSHA goes on to state that, “[the] "Fatal Four" were responsible for more than half (58.6%) the construction worker deaths . . . . Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 591 workers' lives in America every year.” These are the “Fatal Four”:

Falls (accountable for 33.5% of construction worker deaths)

Struck by object (accountable for 11.1% of construction worker deaths)

On its “Fatal Four” website, OSHA also lists the 10 most-frequently cited safety violations on construction sites. These safety violations are to blame for a significant number of fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries every year:

Inadequate fall protection

Inadequate hazard communication standards

Unsafe scaffolding

Inadequate respiratory protection

Failure to control hazardous energy (lockout/tagout violations)

Unsafe ladders

Powered industrial truck safety violations

Inadequate fall protection training

Unsafe machinery and inadequate machine guarding

Inadequate eye and face protection

Work-Related Fatalities for Cases Inspected by OSHA (2019)

Finally, OSHA maintains a running list of work-related fatalities recorded in cases inspected by state and federal workplace safety authorities. Its list includes the date and location of each accident as well as a brief description of the hazard or safety violation to which each worker’s death has been attributed. Currently, OSHA has 3,409 fatal workplace accidents listed for 2019, although this number is likely to increase as more accident investigations are concluded.

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*While these statistics were published in 2019, in most cases they represent data for workplace accidents and injuries from prior years. The BLS, OSHA, CDC, and other agencies publish new figures as they become available, typically one or two years after the year for which they are reported.